Champion of the Past
by Dark-Fire27
Summary: Another year has passed for the Indigo Plateau Tournament, and once again, Ash has failed to become Champion. But then he receives a call from Professor Oak, asking him to investigate Mt. Silver. Meanwhile, a certain Champion makes this place his home...
1. Prologue

AN: I do not own anything by Nintendo or any other companies involved, otherwise I would've done a few tweaks. So, yeah, I own nothing that is related in any way to Pokémon except the characters I own, which this time around will not be involved. This is basically an attempt to do a battle of opposites.

_**Pokémon  
>Champion of the Past<strong>_

**Prologue:** The Forgotten Champion

The sun shone quite brightly on a typical summer day in the small town of Pallet, the starting point of all trainers of the Indigo League. But even so, this tournament has come to an end quite recently, and once again, a local boy has again failed to hoist the Champion's trophy, due to the lack of variety of Pokémon. The creatures that roam these worlds, Kanto, Johto, Hoen, Sinnoh and Unova, are in a large variety; almost seven hundred different kinds are known by the greatest researchers. This boy has traveled everywhere and collected every badge, however, despite his greatest efforts, he did not have the skills to win a single league besides the Orange Islands.

"Pika, pi…" The electric mouse that was his companion since the very start, more commonly called a Pikachu, looked at its trainer with a bit of a disappointed look. It was also trying its best to cheer up its master, who was rather disappointed. However, the black-haired, now fifteen year old had turned his head to look at the electric mouse Pokémon of his, and smiled a little before sitting upright on his bed. He brought his hand to pet the top of Pikachu's head, smiling a little.

This trainer wore a black shirt underneath a blue vest, wore blue jeans and some fairly decent shoes also with Pokémon designs on them. He also had a pair of green, fingerless gloves that he used to keep a grip on a Pokeball when need be. On his head was a red cap with a white face; in the center was a symbol that was used to be the main symbol of the Pokemon League, the same one that he had lost in. His hair was jet black, fairly spiky, but the cap kept the embarrassing bits hidden.

"Don't worry buddy, it just means that we'll have to do better for next time, that's all. How was I supposed to know the last Pokémon she was going to use would be a rock-type? Nobody really knew that…" The boy called Ash assured his Pokémon partner, soon enough standing up to look out the window. "We still did better than Gary, regardless, which is always a good thing, if not the best thing. We made sixth place… That's quite an improvement in comparison to our first try." Ash added, trying to look on the bright side of things, though he still wished to have placed first. His Pikachu had felt the same way, but even so, despite their best efforts, they did not make top spot.

Ash was about to turn on his TV when he heard the phone ring; his mom went to Viridian with one of her friends, so it was left to him to watch after the house. Ash got up and left his room, the electric mouse Pokémon following close behind as Ash arrived in the kitchen. He picked up the phone that was hanging on the wall, and set the speaker to his ear.

"Hello?" Ash spoke into the mouth piece, and it was the voice on the other end that caught him off guard.

"Good day Ash, this is Professor Oak here. I must say that every time you contend in the League, you always improve, if only by a little." The voice said, and Ash was smiling a bit to have heard the voice bit.

"Oh, Professor. Yeah, I know, but still, it would seem that I need more training in order to become a Champion. I mean, there's quite a few champions out there that inspire me to do better; Lance is one of them." Ash spoke, and Pikachu was sitting on the table while looking at its trainer.

"You still did better than my grandson, be thankful that you didn't have to face him. But, there's another reason I called you. You see, recently, I've been seen studying the Pokémon league before, and there was one trainer that was surprisingly a lot like you. I didn't know much about him save that he did drop in my lab to pick up a Pokémon; he was the first one, and though he had a choice of the three Kanto starters, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle, he made a stunning choice that startles myself. He chose a Pikachu, like you." Oak explained on his end, and Ash was taken aback, and it was clear Pikachu had heard also, as its ears perked up.

"But, aren't Pikachu supposed to be hard to tame? I mean, considerably, against Brock, surely he would've had problems with Pikachu as a starter." Ash asked on his end, but there was a bit of silence for a moment.

"That's the thing… He knew Pikachu were hard to tame, and yet he chose it as his starter. But after that, I never heard much from him except for his constantly raising reputation by defeating the gym leaders in surprisingly fast succession, especially for a Pikachu as his starting Pokémon. Put it simply, he was like you, to an extent, but he was more silent, and he had a surprising extent of knowledge about Pokémon. I say he should've become a researcher, but rather, he went on, eventually reaching the Indigo Plateau and climbed through the ranks. Surprisingly, even for this league, on his first time, he obtained the title of Champion, however, he was never recorded in the Hall of Fame. He disappeared sometime after becoming Champion, never even hoisted the cup, and no word had come from him since." Oak explained, and even though Ash wasn't much into listening to lectures, learning about an all-powerful trainer who also started with a Pikachu had him a little excited.

"Okay, but… what does this have to do with me? I never became a champion, so how and why should I even be compared to this guy?" Ash asked, while at the same time, was trying to imagine this trainer; he saw someone of great importance, someone who looked like Surge, but at the same time, different as well.

Ash heard Oak breathe for a moment, and then he heard the professor spoke, "Just recently, Gary was granted permission to go to Mt. Silver in the Johto region, just west of the Indigo Plateau, where only the strongest trainers can go. However, he came back last night, with his Pokémon in surprisingly bad shape, and at first, I thought you may have done something. Gary, however, said it was not you personally, perhaps he didn't want to be embarrassed, but explained they were someone like you who used a Pikachu against him along with the fully evolved forms of Kanto's starters; Charizard, Venasaur, and Blastoise, and they were even more of a match than Gary could handle. That was as far as Gary could muster before he had to leave to heal up his Pokémon and returned. As a trainer who did better than my grandson in the league, I would like you to investigate this matter. I need you to get back to me as soon as you have enough information. You have my permission to set out to Mt. Silver, you can bring whomever you find fit to take, but only two friends may accompany you." Ash listened, and after some time, Ash heard the phone hang up on the other end, and Ash hung up the phone.

"Pika?" Ash's Pikachu asked, and the trainer turned to look at his partner, and with that, the boy smiled and looked out the window, gazing out towards the west, assumedly, and thought about this trainer. If Professor Oak ad brought up the champion of old, and then this story concerning Gary, this trainer could only be the champion; it had to be, Ash thought to himself.

Ash turned to face his partner, and thought for a moment. "A powerful trainer that looked like me…? Was Gary hallucinating and just encountered some very powerful Pokémon, while thinking a trainer was commanding them, or was he having a very vivid nightmare…? I don't know, but, Mt. Silver, where only the strongest of trainers can go… I'll give Misty and Brock a call, perhaps they can join me and unmask the identity of this trainer… And I also have to set up my team accordingly… If he has all the fully evolved forms of Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur, then… He must have spent a long time to care for his Pokémon." Ash spoke, and when he finished, he picked up the phone, first dialing the number of the Gym Leader of Pewter City…

**-Meanwhile, Mt. Silver, several hours later…-**

The trainer sat at his small camp set up just outside the cavern, knowing that it gets cold inside, but even so, it was still cold outside, even if it wasn't as bad. A fire was burning in the center, having been made by the large, orange and dragon-shaped Pokémon, more formerly called a Charizard. It had returned to its Pokeball, a sort of home that Pokémon resides in with an environment that suits the Pokémon it's containing. Sitting next to him on the log, with his cap on its head, was a yellow, electric mouse Pokémon, a Pikachu. With him, the two were gazing up at the sky, watching as the stars blink ever so frequently. The moon hung over the pair as the trainer stood up.

He wore a white t-shirt underneath a red vest, his hair black with a spiky look to it, and also wore blue jeans and some reasonably fashioned shoes. On his belt were five Pokeballs, all of which were filled, and then there was his Pikachu, making up a full team of six, the max amount of Pokémon any trainer can hold onto at any time. Despite that, the Pokemon contained within were quite exceptionally powerful, but being an old champion, what could one expect? He looked no older than nineteen, and he became champion eight years ago, but he came here to further his training.

"Pika?" His Pikachu asked him, looking up at its trainer in confusion. It was wondering if there was something wrong or bothering him, but like always, did not respond.

"…" He hummed a little, and then turned to look at his Pikachu, and then tilted his head towards the cave. Understanding, his Pikachu leaped up onto his shoulder, and set his cap back on its trainer's head. But before the trainer left, he reached for a Pokeball, pressed a button to enlarge the ball, and tossed it nearby. In midair, the ball opened, and a bright light emanated from the container, and took on the shape of a large, turtle-like Pokémon that stood on its hind legs.

"Blast…" The Pokémon, this one called a Blastoise, looked at its trainer, watching as he pointed at the fire. The water pokemon nodded, and with its trainer stepping out of the way, the two shoulder cannons it had pointed towards the campfire, and with that, two heavy jets of water blasted out of them, and easily doused the fire with a Hydro Pump. The trainer nodded, his red eyes looking towards the Pokémon with a bit of satisfaction, and with the ball back in hand, pressed the button and pointed it towards the Blastoise.

A red beam of plasma went towards the large turtle, and it soon became enveloped by it, and soon, was sent into the ball itself. With that done, the trainer gave a nod, pressing the button to shrink it down to size, before he set it back in its place on his belt. Turning towards the cave, the trainer reached into his back pocket, and pulled out what appeared to be a piece of ID. On it showed everything from what gym badges he owned, how much money he had saved away, and more especially, his name. His name was, "Red" according to the name; an unusual name, but this trainer never brought up any questions about it before. No last names either, even more unusual, but nobody questioned him, for even if they did, he would not respond.

Now, nobody ever comes up here on Mt. Silver, he knew that much, but that trainer that appeared a while back, the most recent one, perked his interest slightly. That trainer reminded him of his old rival, whose name was also something unusual, "Blue". However, Red was easily able to beat that trainer no problem, it was as if they didn't take too much time to train, as most of the moves they used were more for show and impressing, rather than for battle. Red learned the hard way, a long time ago, that using show for battle was not something needed, and power wasn't an answer either; it's the love and care that he puts towards his Pokémon that pulled him through to victory, and ultimately became champion. His Pokémon, if he would have words to describe them, were his closest beings to family as he could get.

As he walked into the cave, after his Pikachu had used the ability, Flash to light up the cavern, he thought about that trainer. He considered himself "Gary" and not "Blue"… Then, does that mean there was a second individual that looked like him? Red thought about it, and guessed that would be the case. But he didn't spend any time to think of what this trainer would be like and how to act; heck, they could even be a recent champion for all Red knew. A new and good challenge for him, Red thought; he hadn't fought a very well-skilled trainer in ages. And who knows, if they beat him, perhaps they could tell him of any flaws he could have, or whatever.

His Pikachu looked at him, a little confused, but then saw its trainer smile for the first time in a long while when a Pokémon didn't have to do something for him. "Pika, pi? Pikapika!" The Pikachu said as they ventured deeper in the cave; despite being home to wild Pokemon, none really seemed to attack Red at all; could it be that Red was just too powerful that they knew to stay away? Or did they merely accept him as a sort of "roommate" as the closest term would be, here in Mt. Silver? It was anybody's guess, but Red carried on through the cave until he reached the deepest part, which was also a dead end. It was here that he had a bed set up, a table where he could do extra studying when he needed to, and some distance away, on the ground, appeared to be a place where trainers could battle. That is, when trainers, though very rarely do any show up, come to challenge him.

Despite being so far away from civilization, Red never once considered himself to be in "exile"; no, ever since he learned of this place, he made it his home. Nobody really understood how he felt, even though Red never once took the time to open up about it. All people knew about him was that he was, considerably, one of the world's greatest Pokémon Masters, even if nobody really knew about him. After all, he was a long lost and forgotten Champion, or so he believed…


	2. Existence and Fear

AN: I do not own anything by Nintendo or any other companies involved, otherwise I would've done a few tweaks. So, yeah, I own nothing that is related in any way to Pokémon except the characters I own, which this time around will not be involved. This is basically an attempt to do a battle of opposites.

_**Pokémon  
>Champion of the Past<strong>_

**Chapter 1:** Existence and Fear

Five days following the phone call he had received from Professor Oak, Kanto's greatest Pokémon researcher, Ash had already arrived in Viridian City. He knew that from there, he had to head west and for the most part, go the way as if he was going to Johto's New Bark Town, but rather than heading south from Victory Road, he would continue westward towards Mt. Silver. He had spent time planning out a team that would work out; he had called out to Liza of the Charicific Valley and he had received his Charizard back, as it was a valuable addition to the team. It definitely toughened up since the last time he saw it, back with the whole fiasco with the Unknown, the legendary dog Pokémon, Entei, and the endangering of Johto scientist Professor Spencer Hale's daughter, Molly; and then the Battle Frontier. Jeez, Ash has been in so many life-endangering adventures that requires him to save the world, or at least, a particular individual.

"Pika?" His Pikachu questioned, looking up at him from the ground as they stood by a lamppost, waiting for their friends to arrive. Ash looked down at his partner and smiled a little.

"Don't worry, I was just thinking about the past… It's ridiculous though that we had to save something, or someone, really important about… seven or eight times now…? I don't remember, lost count…" Ash trailed off, looking up at the sky, almost at the exact point where he saw that really rare Pokémon, Ho-oh as he learned when he arrived at Ecruteak much later, on his first day as a Pokémon Trainer. It was definitely strange, so many things happened, and yet, here he was, about to go and face off against this Champion of old. Aside from having Pikachu and Charizard on his team, Ash had chosen some respectable Pokémon choices for when he should go up against this trainer.

He had chosen to bring Sceptile, his grass-type powerhouse that seems to be the most logical choice when he's pit against this trainer's Blastoise. As to counter the trainer's Charizard, Ash will not be using his Charizard, a mistake that he had once forgotten about when he went to New Island a ways back. Rather, he will use Buizel, which he had received from Dawn through a trade for his Aipom, as it supports quite powerful water attacks. But since he was unsure of this trainer's last two Pokémon, if he had them, Ash had chosen to bring his Staraptor, his flying type Pokemon which he caught as a Starly back in the Sinnoh region, and his Gliscor, another flying type that is surprisingly adaptable to the ground also, having evolved from a Gligar. Ash figured that would be his team for this trainer, but wondered if he had even left the Mt. Silver and even journeyed anywhere else.

Ash's train of thought came to an abrupt halt when he heard the voices of Misty and Brock approaching up from Viridian Forest, and Ash smiled to see his friends since quite some time. Brock was the same as always, but it was Misty that looked the most different, since he hasn't seen her since Hoen. She had grown her hair out, and took it out of the one pigtail, just letting it flow loosely to shoulder length, something odd for Ash to have seen, but regardless, she still was a friend, after all. Ash would've also asked May and Max, and even Dawn if he could to join them, but Oak only said he can only bring two. Rather unfair, Ash had mentioned, but regardless, the fifteen year old had made the decision with these two, but he asked Brock to bring a camera to take pictures of him facing off against this trainer.

What Ash did not understand was that the two were rather hesitant about going, as he thought back to the phone calls. Were Gym Leaders not welcome on Mt. Silver because they were only meant to remain as they are, Gym Leaders? Or was it another, completely different matter that Ash was being left out on? Ash had questioned on what was wrong, but neither Misty nor Brock gave him a straight-up answer, and seemed to cave in and decided to come. Could they fear this Champion, or quite possibly, only Brock does since he was certainly old enough to have been a Gym Leader when this Champion went and collected their badges? But it didn't explain why Misty was so hesitant about it either, unless she was a leader longer than what she told him?

Brock was the same as usual, his eyes squinted in the same manner as a Cyndaquil, sort of, and his clothes were a green shirt with an orange and brown vest over it. He had dark tanned skin with beige, baggy cargo pants, and some decent shoes. His hair was brown and spiky, and if Ash remembered correctly, he had a variety of rock-type Pokémon as well as a number of others, including a Chansey, Sudowoodo, and Marshtomp.

Despite the change in her hairstyle, Misty actually looked prepared for this climb up Mt. Silver, despite her being hesitant on the phone. She was wearing a mid-sleeved jacket that was aquamarine in color, with her shirt underneath was a deeper cerulean, which Ash found suiting since she came from Cerulean City. She wore regular blue jeans, which Ash found to be the big difference aside from her hair since she always seemed to wear shorts when she traveled with him. Her shoes were a deep indigo, but the only colors on her that were not any type of blue were her hair and her skin. Ash had no doubt that she would have her water Pokémon with her.

When they were close enough, Ash was the first one to speak, "Hey guys, it's been quite a while since we saw each other. Most definitely, the biggest change is you Misty, haha…" Ash spoke, half-jokingly as the water-trainer just glared at him, clearly a little upset.

"And what exactly is wrong with being different, Ash? I mean, surely during the times you were gone, you caught a vast amount of Pokémon, though it was mainly the grass or fire types you caught that did any evolving. So if anything, you changed also." Misty pointed out to the trainer, remembering his Charmander becoming a Charizard and Chikorita becoming a Bayleaf, and heard about Torterra, Infernape, and Sceptile, as well as Quilava. Regardless, Ash gave a sigh then a shrug.

"Ash, are you certain you wish to go through with this?" Brock couldn't help but ask, trying not to put any concern in his voice, which he only received a look from Ash.

"Why are you so concerned, Brock? I mean, the worst that could happen is to encounter some powerful Pokémon like a Tyranitar mother or something like that. For all I know, that trainer could've moved on when Gary traversed up that way, since someone knew of where he resides…" Ash suggested, but he knew he wasn't fooling anybody, though, oddly enough, Brock appeared to have relaxed a little, as did Misty.

"If we come across a trainer, then yeah, I'll fight him, or her, if I have to, but if not, then at least I can say to Gary that he was wrong about a trainer being up that way. Just like that time with the Viridian Gym when he encountered a Pokémon that would not register to the Pokedex, which, now reminds me… Did they ever find a replacement Gym Leader to run that gym?" Ash spoke, looking in the direction where the now rebuilt, and remodeled, Gym was. Misty and Brock looked at it, and both honestly had nothing really to say.

"That I haven't been informed of, Ash, neither Misty nor I… All we do know is that he was a semi-finalist in Pokémon League a ways back, but he lost. Thing is, it's believed that he breaks the rule of all Gym Leaders, and that is using a large diversity of Pokémon, rather than sticking to one particular type. He'll be starting as the holder of the Earth Badge next year, but nobody knows much else besides." Ash heard as Brock explained the situation, all of which were gazing at the Gym. Ash wondered who this new Gym Leader could be, and just hoped it wasn't Team Rocket again, but if Brock and Misty could learn the basics of who to deal with, this doesn't sound like them.

"Well, whoever they are, I would like to know them, and perhaps get a real challenge from the Leader, rather than having lackeys do the dirty work. I mean, I never had a true Gym Battle for the Earth Badge, and I hope to change that next year if I can. But that would mean I'd have to go around and challenge you guys again…" Ash trailed off, and then looked up to the sky, the wind lightly whistling through the nearby trees as he thought it over. But he knew that the fight with this Gym Leader would have to wait; he had to do this investigation Oak had asked him to do.

"Anyways, we'll discuss this later, okay guys? Right now, we have to do this search that Oak had supplied us, or rather, me with, for this trainer, or Pokémon, that put quite a number on Gary's team. I was able to surpass Gary back in the Silver Conference, even with the type disadvantage, so I could succeed where Gary couldn't." Ash said, trying to keep high hopes while his Pikachu was doing the same thing. Without another word, all three made their way westward towards Victory Road, only to continue heading in that direction to begin the ascend up the mountain.

* * *

><p>Despite the harsh, cold conditions of the mountain, Ash remained close to his friends, his Pikachu on his shoulder to ensure it wouldn't get separated from its trainer. Misty, despite her warmer attire of clothing, was having a hard time dealing with the cold and heavy air, and surprisingly, Brock was having similar issues. How Ash was able to remain so calm and normal despite the harsh conditions had the two Gym Leaders slightly puzzled, however, they did what they could to keep up with Ash.<p>

On a nearby cliff, overlooking the trio, stood the trainer they were looking for, which Misty and Brock also had a bit of fear of being here. Red looked down at the three of them, but his red eyes mainly watched the one leading the trio with the Pikachu on his shoulder. So his theory was correct, Red thought, and such a trainer that looked like him did exist, but as to why he'd bring Brock and Misty, the first two Gym Leaders of Kanto here to a dangerous environment puzzled him.

"Pika…" His Pikachu said rather simply and quietly, perched on his shoulder and looked at the three as well. Red was standing upright, and quite honestly, he didn't have any concern on whether he was seen or not; people knew he was here anyways, so there was no point in hiding. In fact, Red would never have the intent to hide from a trainer that could, perhaps, surpass him. But that was the whole question; could this trainer who looked like Red even surpass him, one of the greatest Pokémon Masters and a Pokémon League Champion?

"…" The response was silent as always from Red, and it was there that he saw the trainer stop, and turned to look at him. For a split moment, the two had made eye contact with one another, before Red walked into the cave that was connected to the cliff.

Ash could not believe at what he had just seen, it probably had to be an illusion or a Ghost-type Pokémon was playing tricks on his mind. It was a trainer, standing only moments ago on a cliff overlooking the valley, with what appeared to be a Pikachu on his shoulder much like Ash's case now. And his clothing almost was similar, though opposite in color to Ash's, although the hat was designed quite differently. Misty and Brock had looked moments after, just barely catching a glimpse, but their fears were most certainly confirmed; _he_ was here after all.

Ash could see on their expressions that they had seen him also, and though he knew that they knew, Ash knew best not to pry into business that was not his. All he knew now was that Oak's theory on a powerful trainer being on Mt. Silver was true, more disappointment for Ash since Gary was right, but Ash knew that he could maybe, just maybe, have what it takes to defeat this trainer.

He and the two Gym Leaders pressed onwards, managing to avoid wild Pokémon attacks, mainly to avoid their behaviors. Even with the sightings of some rather rare Pokémon, the fifteen year old knew that he would have time after this to try, but that was, if his Pokémon were up for the test against this supposed trainer's team. And since he was a Champion as well, Ash knew full well this trainer, who appeared to be a little older than him, would definitely be no pushover. This would be perhaps his biggest battle in his entire five years of being a Pokémon Trainer. If he can do this, then at the very least, Ash has the right to be called a Champion, since he was able to beat one of old. But Ash did not know of what to expect out of this fight; things could go either way in all honesty; Gary had Pokémon from all the regions like Ash, only in larger numbers and more diversity, and still lost.

Ash showed no concern as he approached what appeared to have been a campsite of sorts, as if a trainer had been here quite some time ago. It even more confirmed of what he had seen. They had traveled all day, and Ash figured that before the final push into the cave, the three of them should at least have a break here. That trainer had nowhere really to go, except flight from his Chrizard if what Gary said was true, but by the look into this trainer's eyes, he most certainly was not going anywhere. And this would now be the time to question Misty and Brock on their experiences with this trainer, hoping to gain an edge.

"So, I believe you saw him as well, even if just a glimpse, I saw that you both recognized him even when he was not fully visible. So tell me, who is this trainer that I'm about to deal with?" Ash asked, for once, sounding serious as his Pikachu lept off his shoulder and landed on the ground nearby, as Ash watched Misty look to the side, while Brock looked down to the ground. Silence ensued for the next while, and Ash was about to just cut it, but then saw Brock stand, which surprised Misty.

"It was against Pokémon League rules that we cannot disclose any information about any trainers we came across unless the trainer himself or herself was known. And, unfortunately, why Oak would even disclose the information to you was unneeded to be heard. However, though we cannot say anything of this trainer as Gym Leaders, we can, at least, tell you as your friends…" Brock began, looking towards the mouth of the cave, and then back to Ash.

"When he began his journey, he too had issues fighting my Geodude and Onix, however, I was surprised that he used an unusual method to fight my rock Pokémon at the time with only a Pikachu and a Butterfree. Though he had the type disadvantage in both areas, somehow, he came out victorious on his first try against me. He did not use electricity from his Pikachu, nor did he use the spore abilities from his Butterfree. How he was able to defeat me with simple, yet effective combat strategies still confuses me today…" Brock explained, and Ash was certain he misheard that; he had used a Pikachu and a Butterfree against a rock-type user? But before Ash could question, Misty had turned her head to look at the fifteen year old.

"It was not even three days later he had arrived to my gym and challenged not just me, but also my three sisters in battle at, like brock, a type disadvantage. He did not use his Pikachu until the end, so, surprisingly, he used a Charmander and Squirtle, where both fire and water are hardly effective against my water types. Like the battle with Brock, he used methods that took me off guard, and ultimately, my defeat with him, forcing me to confer up the badge to him. But at the time, he had a kind and caring heart for his Pokémon, as if treating them like his brothers and sisters, yet didn't seem to talk at all. I don't know, but how I see it, he was hurt back then, and even just briefly seeing him now, that pain hasn't gone away…" Misty explain her side, and so far, Ash knew that this trainer had a deep trust towards his Pokémon to use types that were at clear disadvantages, and still stood victorious, like how Ash managed to beat Gary's Blastoise with his Charizard back in the Silver Conference.

"Since he was progressing so fast through the Gym Leaders in succession, using similar means against all the Gym Leaders and even his rival, who would also face us later, I watched him battle through the Pokémon League, and since his Pokémon were all toughened up from being at type disadvantages, he used his team accordingly against every trainer he came across, and ultimately, fought his rival in the semi-finals. The battle was quite heated, but this trainer managed to make his way to victory, leaving his rival in utter shock, as if he never truly lost.

"It was then just this first-timer against the League Champion, Lance in the finals of the tournament. Now this trainer had never fought Dragon types before that Lance was so proud of, but he did have a method to fight his way to victory, a startling one at that. This trainer never had his Pokémon fall completely in battle, like most trainers would, and would shift between Pokémon if things were getting too heated against his team. Eventually, when it seemed like Lance had his Pikachu cornered by his Dragonite, it was his Pikachu that came out superior after using a powerful Thunderbolt." Brock explained from what he knew based on what he had seen back then. "And you know the rest from there, Ash…" Brock finished up, before taking his seat next to Misty, who was still eying the cave in case Red would walk out.

Ash nodded when he needed to as he listened to Brock, and when he finished, Ash looked at the rock-type user, before saying, "Alright, I know his style, which sounds pretty difficult to counter, but… do you at least know his name? I have to at least know it before I go in and challenge him…" Ash showed that even after coming all this way, there was absolutely no chance he was backing down from this fight. But rather than Brock saying it, it was Misty who covered his lips before he said a word.

"Many people had wondered why he was given his name; some thought it was because the color was his favorite, but, no… Nobody knew why he was given that name, yet, people did get to hear it that time ago when he showed his ID to us Gym Leaders when he would not speak to any of us… His name is, "Red"… But Ash, is there nothing Brock and I could say to have you stay back and avoid this battle with him?" Misty spoke, certainly concerned for the fifteen year old. When Ash shook his head, Misty knew that it was expected, despite her fears.

"Then, there is no reason for Brock and I to carry on too far into the cave with you; if we remember Red, he prefers to fight trainers one at a time. And he does not really like spectators that much, despite Pokémon League being a very crowded and spectator-filled environment. So from here on, Ash… You're on your own, sorry…" Misty spoke, closing her eyes and looking downward to the side, and as much as Brock wanted to protest, Ash stood up, his Pikachu running to climb up his shoulder.

"Don't be, Misty… I mean, if anything, it's because you two do not wish to see him, face-to-face again when you had such a hard time with him that long ago. But, if I'm not back in fifteen minutes, then that means that this Red and I are on even terms, yet I cannot say for certain it'll be like that. I mean, if what you say is true, he just may use either his Pikachu or Blastoise when I go to use Sceptile, or another method like that against my other Pokémon, right? But, you guys know me enough that I can stand on my own, and even if I do lose against him, it's not like I have anything really important to lose like a title or a Gym Badge, right?" Ash explained at how he looked at things, and for some reason, he saw the two Gym Leaders relax a little, before they stood up also.

"We'll remain here while you deal with Red… I don't know how he's going to feel battling you or what he'll be thinking, but he most certainly may not have fought anyone like you before, Ash. You could be the only one who would have actually stood any significant chance on par with him, to at least be even with him if not better…" Brock spoke, trying to encourage Ash one time more before he would enter the cave and make his way towards the greatest Pokémon Trainer Kanto and Johto, possibly even the Pokémon World, has ever seen.

Ash nodded as he approached the cave's entrance, and then he took one look back at his friends, and smiled again before he stepped in, where his Pikachu emanated the cavern with a Flash. Next thing he knew, the Pokémon Trainer walked through the cave, avoiding any necessary fights with any wild Pokémon along the way. Despite it being dark, the Pokémon he saw in here varied quite a bit in species and rarity; most he found very interesting due to them living in this cave despite the harsh conditions outside. Ash would hear every step he would make as he made it deeper through the cave. Ultimately, he reached the deepest part, which not only appeared to be a dead end, but also appeared to be Red's living space. Ash had only walked to the stairway leading upwards to where the battle area was situated, and standing at the highest point, he saw the Champion was waiting for him. His Pikachu had sparks emanating from its cheeks, and was growling quite a bit. Red had his hand holding the end of his cap, sort of in a tipping motion, before tilting his head in a manner for Ash to step up to the plate. This battle, Ash knew, would be his most difficult challenge ever…


	3. Champion's Starters

AN: I do not own anything by Nintendo or any other companies involved, otherwise I would've done a few tweaks. So, yeah, I own nothing that is related in any way to Pokémon except the characters I own, which this time around will not be involved. This is basically an attempt to do a battle of opposites.

_**Pokémon  
>Champion of the Past<strong>_

**Chapter 2: **Against the Champion's Starters

Moments after seeing his opponent tip his head to head up there, Ash took one look at his Pikachu, who appeared to be raring to go, before walking up the steps. Ash thought things over, however, no matter how he looked at it, this would be his first time fighting an adversary that was a Champion of the Pokémon League. He had no idea how this battle will play out in comparison to not only Ash's style, but also Red's will be induced in this battle. This battle of opposites, both Ash and Red thought, though unaware that the other was thinking that exact same thing.

When Ash had climbed to the top, he saw Red was situated where he was supposed to on the "host's" battle position in the ring. However, his Pikachu had climbed off his shoulder and took to the side, not in the ring, so Ash knew he would not be using his Pikachu first. In sense, Ash's Pikachu climbed off his shoulder, and also stood to the side, which meant to Red that this trainer was not wanting to use his Pikachu first either. But after some time, Ash watched as Red reached to his belt for a Pokeball, and without any hesitation, he tossed it upwards.

It opened suddenly, and the bright, white-plasma aimed towards the stage, which eventually took the form of something Ash did not expect. "Saurrr…" Standing on its side of the field was the large, almost dinosaur-like creature with a giant flower on its back. Ash immediately recognized the creature; it was a Venasaur, a grass-type Pokemon, and most definitely a powerful one at that. Ash knew that in this cavern, it would not be able to perform a powerful Solarbeam, but at this point, it could know any attack.

"Battle before introductions, huh Red? If you want to know my name, it's Ash Ketchum, a Trainer from Pallet Town, and a recent contender of the Pokémon League… And I don't know if you'll recognize any Pokémon on my team…" Ash spoke, also reaching for a Pokeball as Red caught the container that held his Venasaur. Ash had picked the Pokémon that would start things for his side. He saw Red unimpressed by his words, and silent like when he first met him, and Ash knew he was more serious about battling at the moment.

"Let's do this, Staraptor!" Ash yelled, throwing the Pokeball in the air and watched as it opened up, and took forms a large bird in the air, flapping its wings. Red, of course, didn't seem to recognize this particular species of Pokémon, but regardless, he knew it was a flying type, leaving his Venasaur at the disadvantage. But Red knew that this trainer who calls himself Ash did not know that it, along with two others, know their respective ultimate abilities. Red gave a smile as he saw his Venasaur look back at him, only receiving a nod from its trainer. Ash didn't exactly understand, but so far, Red still has said nothing, but he'd have to if he wants to win.

"Saur!" The cry took Ash by surprise when he watched the Venasaur immediately release four vines from its back, immediately reaching out as if to constrict his Staraptor.

"Ah! Staraptor dodge it!" Ash commanded, but watched as two of the vines managed to at least lash the body of the dodging bird Pokémon, but was not able to grasp it. The bird Pokémon cried a little in pain from the strike, but despite that, it wasn't over from Venasaur's assault; retracting its vines a little, and before Ash knew it, it released a flurry of leaves towards his Staraptor. Still acting on the defensive, Staraptor easily maneuvered to avoid the leaves, flapping its wings to fly to the side.

"Go in for a Quick Attack!" Ash commanded, and responding, the bird Pokémon released a bird-like howl before it dove down towards the slow-to-move Pokémon. Ash was hoping for a successful strike. However, it was evident Red had something else in mind, because he watched s the rival trainer raised his hand and snapped his fingers. With that, the vines that Venasaur had out, immediately dove into the ground, and large, branch-like spines erupted from the ground, right in front of it and in exact proper timing when Staraptor was just about to strike the almost defenseless, slow-moving Pokémon.

Ash recognized the attack; Frenzy Plant, the strongest of all the plant-based abilities, and despite it being a disadvantageous move against bird-types, it had a surprising result on Staraptor. It was knocked aside, back in front of Ash. He watched as it struggled to get back up, and it was clear by how deeply it was breathing, it wouldn't take much to finish it. Ash knew as well as Red that it took a while for any Gras-types that use that ability to recover, and perhaps that could be the changing factor.

"Hang in there Staraptor, and give things another shot with your Arial Ace!" Ash exclaimed to his weakened bird Pokémon, which despite being rather hurt, it was strong enough to fly up again, and charged towards the Venasaur again, but it had recovered just in time. Red, once again, snapped his fingers, and Ash knew what to expect this time, and as did the bird Pokémon, which diverted off course with the attack as the spines erupted from the ground once again, however, it failed to connect with Staraptor a second time. Now unprotected, the bird quickly turned around and dove towards the grass-type, and successfully made contact, knocking to a little off balance.

"Saur…!" It cried in surprise when the Staraptor's wings slashed it, much to Red's surprise a little, but regardless, he smiled to see a Pokémon finally get in a successful hit, even if just one, against any of his Pokémon. Despite it not nearly in bad condition in comparison to Ash's Staraptor, Red held his Pokeball out, pressing the button to recall his plant type Pokémon. Ash didn't understand the sudden recall, but Red had already had another Pokeball in hand, which he tossed as Venasaur disappeared into its capsule.

The ball opened in midair, which the white plasma then assumed the form of a large turner with a rather large shell, and two shoulder cannons. Ash knew this was his Blastoise, three of four of the Pokémon Red was said to be in possession of according to Gary. Blastoise was a bit faster, but was still slow, yet it was quite defensive due to its large shell, which it could withdraw into when in trouble. However, before Ash could respond, the turtle Pokemon withdrew into its shell, yet it began to spin swiftly, and was charging to the unprepared Staraptor with a frantic Rapid Spin. Ash tried to order it to dodge, but with no avail as the turtle Pokemon struck his bird in the chest, knocking it before Ash. The Staraptor made a last attempt to stand up, but didn't succeed this time, as Blastoise returned to its position on Red's side of the field.

Ash reached for its Pokeball, saying, "Staraptor, return!" He pressed the button, his bird Pokemon returning to the ball with no hesitation. Ash looked at the ball and said, "You did well." He set the container back to his belt, and he thought of how he would deal with this; he was not going to send in Pikachu against it despite the type advantage it had over the water type. No, Ash had a different decision in mind, having picked out the Pokémon he'd use this time against this water type. Last time he went up against a Blastoise he used his Charizard, yet he would not risk it here, considering that Red has plenty more experience when it comes to battling.

He reached for a Pokeball, and as he tossed it after having it enlarge, Ash cried out, "Let's do this, Sceptile!" The Pokeball opened to expose the five-foot, seven-inch tall grass Pokémon that stood on its hind legs. Its main body and head had a serpent-like look to it, but the tail was on the ground looked rather odd, like a sort of bush. It didn't take Red long to realize this was a grass-type, the advantage against his Blastoise. Despite not seeing these Pokémon before, Red never once did pull out his PokeDex, but Ash thought perhaps he has seen them before.

"I don't know why you recalled your Venasuaur despite the fact it was still in good condition, but you must have a reason to do so…" Ash couldn't help but note aloud, but once again, the adversary of his standing before him was silent as usual. However, instead of any of the past actions like he gave his Venasaur, Red tipped his hat to Blastoise when the water type looked back at him. The water type just nodded as it looked at its adversary.

"Don't hold back anything, Sceptile… Use Leaf Blade!" Ash commanded, pointing his finger out towards the Blastoise, and, despite its fairly average size, Sceptile moved surprisingly quickly, more than Red or Blastoise anticipated. Even when the water Pokémon released its Hydro Pump from its two shoulder cannons, the grass-type rushed to the side to dodge it, the two blade-like leaves on its arms glowing green. Just when Ash was sure that Sceptile would get in uninterrupted, he watched as Blastoise withdrew its cannons, and grasped the grass Pokémon's wrists, stopping the attack in its tracks. Even though both were strong, Blastoise was able to swing Sceptile around and slammed the grass type into the ground with a Submission.

Ash heard it cry out in pain, and despite the injury, it was still in fairly decent shape, as Blastoise then tossed it back to Ash's side of the field, showing its strength was not something to laugh about. Sceptile got back up in no time, but Ash knew that in here, Solar Beam would utterly be useless because no sunlight shone in. He had to use another plan, and then it came to him; a Leaf Storm might work out in place of Leaf Blade, as it doesn't require going in and risking to be hit by another Submission.

"Don't give up, use Leaf Storm, Sceptile!" Ash exclaimed to his grass-type, and with that, Sceptile appeared to understand, and the leaves on his back and tail began to glow green, as well as the leaves on its arm. Ash was certain that even if the leaves don't do much, he would hope to use it as a distraction for Sceptile to go in and try another Leaf Blade on the off-guard Blastoise. In hardly any time, leaves began to flurry in numerous amount across the field, more around Red's side surrounding his Blastoise. But it appeared to be standing strong regardless, as far as Red saw and knew. This attack was rather unfamiliar to Red, despite having a Grass Pokémon of his own, and honestly had no idea what Ash was up to.

But before Red knew it, he heard Ash command, "Rush in there and try another Leaf Blade!" Red then saw the plan of Ash's; the leaves were a mere distraction for his Blastoise and intended for a more successful attack. A well-coordinated combo, Red thought inwardly, but he kept his eyes open to ensure where Sceptile intended to attack this time. He could see his Blastoise was also looking around, however, Red was amazed to see that Sceptile took it off-guard by attacking it from the side, as the leaves began to fall and things became more noticeable. The blades of this leaf Pokémon made sure contact against the turtle Pokémon, though it was partially against the shell.

"Blaaast…!" The water Pokémon cried in surprise, with the grass-type quickly retreating back to Ash's side of the field, watching just how things would go on. Ash thought that Red would do the same thing as his Venasaur, however, watched as Red did not reach for another Pokeball this time. Instead, Red snapped his fingers, followed by a tip of his hat to his Blastoise, who was still faring well. Ash noticed the difference, and wondered just what Red was up to, but watched as the Blastoise drew its cannons once again, and for certain Ash was certain another Hydro Pump was going to be aimed at Sceptile. But rather than just water, what appeared to be cyan-colored, high-pressurized aquatic jets rushed towards Sceptile at a much faster speed than that of Hydro Pump.

"Sceptile, dodge it!" Ash commanded, but despite the effort, Sceptile was hit by the water jets and appeared to be injured from the blast. Ash had no idea that this attack was Hydro Cannon, a stronger version of Hydro Pump that works like Venasaur's Frenzy Plant, but for water Pokémon. Ash saw his Scceptile was looking exhausted; just how was Red so good when he wasn't even voice-commanding his Pokémon? But Ash saw the flaw with the Blastoise; it was exhausted like how Venasaur was when it used Frenzy Plant, so perhaps it was the same when it used this particular attack.

"Sceptile, let's finish this up by using another Leaf Blade!" Ash commanded, and despite the damage it took, Sceptile charged again on the Blastoise with quite a bit of speed. Red expected the Sceptile would be hit by the full blast, but the fact it was still going strong had Red underestimated its power. He couldn't recall his Blastoise nor did the Blastoise have enough tie to recover as Sceptile delivered the powerful blow to the water-type. This was enough to knock it onto its back, where it was having difficulty getting back up.

"Blaaaast…" It grunted weakly, and Red knew it was not in a condition to fight now, and recalled it by merely holding the Pokeball out and pressed the button. He set the ball on his belt after it compressed, and had another ball ready which he threw and opened up. Ash watched as the white plasma took the shape of the orange, dragon-like beast with wings, and a flame coming from the end of its tail. A Charizard, and now Ash was at the disadvantage because not only was Chrizard fast despite its size, but it was a fire type that could easily burn his Sceptile to faint.

Ash went to recall his Sceptile, but not before Red's Charizard quickly lunged at it and slashed the grass type, causing it to collapse before it was enveloped in the red plasma from Ash's Pokeball. Ash did not expect Red's Charizard to be that fast; Buizel may not be the best choice at this point. He thought about it, and though he didn't use it often, he figured it was as good a choice as any. He reached for the necessary Pokeball, and pressed the button to enlarge it.

"I didn't think I'd have to use you against this kind of opponent… Let's go, Gliscor!" Ash spoke, tossing the Pokeball, which opened up to expose his second aerial Pokémon. At first glance, it appeared to be an odd mixture of a bat and a scorpion, with bright golden eyes. Not needed to explain that Red hadn't seen this Pokémon either, and didn't even budge when he saw it fly surprisingly close to its trainer. Red watched as the Gliscor seemed quite affectionate towards Ash, and when he did, he couldn't help but smile; Ash seemed to treat his Pokémon with as much respect as Red did with his Pokémon. Inwardly, Red decided that he would go all out, and would have his Pokémon go until they're incapable of fighting any longer. Ash did not know that Red would be like that now, as he managed to get Gliscor to be in battle position.

This time, it was Red who was on the offensive, which had his Charizard use its wings to fly swiftly towards the smaller in size Gliscor. But it was Gliscor's turn to fly swiftly out of the way, flying further up, with Charizard trailing behind it. Ash was not commanding Gliscor, as the scorpion-bat hybrid of a Pokémon then quickly turned to face it, and riskily let out a terrible screech, which Ash and Red quickly retaliated to plug their ears, but Charizard wasn't as lucky, as it appeared to be wincing from the terrible noise.

"That's it, now use X-Scissor!" Ash commanded, and it was as if Gliscor understood, swinging both its claws swiftly in a cross pattern, which struck Charizard in the chest while it was unprotected. The fire type had lost its balance, and though it fell for a moment, it quickly recovered and landed on the ground with a heavy impact on its feet. Red noted that was another good combo, despite the X-Scissor hardly doing much to his Charizard, as the two assumed their respective places. Gliscor picked up a bit of the loose sand off the ground when it came close to the ground, trying to show off a little, but looked prepared after.

Ash was doing better, Red also took notice in that, and was using some combos that Red had not been able to train against to counter. Despite that, Red still had more to show this trainer, and was not intent on losing so easily either. He single handedly defeated his rival, Blue in the semifinals, and he also used a diversity of Pokémon types, yet he did not know what to expect in the end. Charizard looked back to its trainer, which Red merely responded with a small thumb's up, and Ash was already getting lost with all these actions Red was doing. Did he train his Pokémon to understand sign language or something?

Regardless, Ash watched as Red's Charizard took to the skies again, but it did not charge towards Gliscor this time; instead, Ash watched as a flamethrower erupted from the dragon-like Pokémon's mouth, aimed directly at his Gliscor. Again, Gliscor moved to dodge, and looked as though it was about to screech again, but Ash quickly shook his head.

"Dodge the flames and go in to deliver a Fire Fang!" Ash spoke, and Red clearly did not understand this means of attack; a fire attack used against a fire Pokémon? However, Red remained on edge as Ash's Gliscor charged towards his Charizard, its fangs burning with a noticeable flame. Red waited until it was in range, before he quickly snapped his fingers. Charizard let out a loud roar, which was then followed by an attack that Ash initially thought would be a Fire Blast, but instead, was an oddly bright, almost white flame that appeared to be coming out of Charizard in a fashion Ash did not see before; two smaller flamethrowers swirling in a beam-like motion. Though Gliscor tried to dodge, it was struck by part of the blast, crying out in pain as the bat-scorpion hybrid fell to the ground, which it barely had enough time to land. However, despite the move being exhausting for his Charizard, it charged towards the Gliscor, and quickly grabbed it as it flew higher up.

Ash watched as the Charizard flew in a number of circular motions before it began to fly down to the ground. "Gliscor, use your tail to break free!" Ash commanded, having seen that Gliscor's tail was the only thing available to be used in this grab. Gliscor, though weakened, responded as its tail then struck against Charizard's torso, causing it to wince and release Gliscor, which did not hesitate to react as it quickly charged, becoming enveloped in a large gust of wind. Ash knew this was its Giga Impact, which the blow successfully struck Red's Charizard.

However, rather than just Charizard falling towards the ground, so did Gliscor, both collapsed and unable to battle, though Gliscor was struggling to get back up, but with no avail. In the end, Red was the first to recall his Charizard, before Ash recalled his Gliscor; Ash knew that Red still had his Venasaur in decent shape, with Ash down three Pokémon and Red down two and one a little hurt. Despite the tough battle between them, Ash knew he was at the disadvantage as he watched Red send out his Venasaur once more, looking as though it's ready to finish things up.

Ash decided that he might as well, so he grabbed the all-familiar Pokeball of his, and then tossed it. "Come on Charizard, let's do this." Ash spoke, and watched as his ball opened to expose his very own Charizard, which Red smiled at the fact he was dealing with a Pokemon he recognizes. However, he was sure that how Ash would've trained it would most likely be different that how he did, Red knew. Ash's Charizard let out a loud roar towards he Venasaur, but knew it had to obey Ash, even though it didn't do so when it first evolved.

Red had no choice, yet he was not going to recall his Venasaur despite being at a type disadvantage, he just had to go with what he's got. Red clapped his hands, and Ash was getting tired of this, but watched as his Venasaur began to launch some seeds towards Charizard; Leach Seed he realized. Yet his Charizard responded by blowing a flamethrower at the seeds, burning them to a crisp before they attached to it. Venasaur could not move far though, so a flamethrower could finish it up, Ash figured.

"Charizard, take to the skies and use Flamethrower!" Ash commanded, and with a roar for a reply, Charizard used its wings to fly upwards, and opened its mouth to release the hot flames from its mouth. Red knew it was inevitable, and because Ash was so focused, he did not see Red lip the words, "…forgive me…" When the flames made contact with the Venasaur, it cried out in severe pain, and at this point, Red had no choice but to recall it for good. It returned to its ball, and at this point, things were now all evened up; three Pokémon have been used to their fullest extent from both trainers, and three remained between them each including their Pikachus. Ash kept Charizard on the field, waiting for what Red was going to use against him; all his starters were used, and have been brought down, so now it was time to expose the other two he did have left. Ash breathed deeply as Red reached for a Pokeball, and tossed it which had opened in the air, the white plasma taking form of his Pokémon, which Ash was taken off guard by…


	4. Surprise Attack!

AN: I do not own anything by Nintendo or any other companies involved, otherwise I would've done a few tweaks. So, yeah, I own nothing that is related in any way to Pokémon except the characters I own, which this time around will not be involved. This is basically an attempt to do a battle of opposites.

_**Pokémon  
>Champion of the Past<strong>_

**Chapter 3: **Surprise Attack?

Outside the cavern, Misty and Brock were still waiting for their friend to return, but so far, no sign of him yet. Both began to wonder if Ash was actually succeeding in this battle with Red, however, they still did not have any intent of waltzing in there to interrupt. However, both did not realize they were being watched from afar by a certain pair of individuals as well as a certain feline Pokémon. One of the humans was male, with short blue hair in a black uniform, and was currently looking through a pair of binoculars. He recognized the two immediately as adversaries that stood in his and his teammates' path many, MANY times in the past, causing him to frown.

"Well what's the hold-up, James? What are they doing?" His female teammate whispered, clearly a little impatient. She wore a black uniform like his, but instead of pants, she wore a skirt, and her hair was long, and mahogany in color. Their feline Pokémon was a little ways away, checking their six to ensure they weren't followed by anyone else.

"Relax Jessie, they're not doing anything except standing outside like they have nothing to do… I don't see that one twerp and his Pikachu either… But I have to ask, _**why**_ did we come here anyways? There's nothing here of any use to us…" The blue-haired man known as James exclaimed, clearly unsure as to why all of them made the decision to come to Mt. Silver. Ever since their promotion in Unova, this small group of Agents loyal to Team Rocket, a group of black market dealers and thieves, had nothing else to do since their return to Kanto.

"Remember a while back before we dealt with that one twerp, who also had a Pikachu, but always had a change of Pokémon every time we came across him? Unlike this twerp we dealt with for the past five years, has it ever occurred to you what happened to that other kid? I received information back at Headquarters about a recent climb up this mountain by a strong trainer, but made a descent some time later, too fast for someone of his strength, which has me to believe that twerp is here also…" Jesse explained, remembering her past long before meddling with Ash, though neither she nor her partners would ever say his name aloud. That other twerp they were referring to… actually, they never received his name, but they were far more silent than Ash, and had an appearance much like him.

"Oh, **him**... Quite disappointing losses we had against him, four times we lost before we were called back. At that point we did move on, though the Pokémon we used at the time were confiscated and used by the other Rockets, which forced us to start again… With more experience under our belt, we were supposed to succeed at that heist at the Viridian Pokémon Center, which took me by surprise when I saw that twerp, much like you and Meowth, surely…" James explained, still examining to make sure that they would remain unnoticed by the two Gym Leaders, who went back to sit back at the camp site. Because of the fog that rolled in, they were still unseen, a good thing for them.

"Don't remind me… that first kid caused us to be demoted from our position… Not the most regrettable thing that happened to me, but probably for you two…" She spoke, looking around. On her belt were three Pokeballs, which was the same number that her partner had on his as well. Their feline friend, because it was also a Pokémon, did not have anything a trainer would, an expected result. In fact, it was not really listening to the babble between the two so much, but more for any trainers or Pokémon coming from behind.

"Will you guys just pipe down, you don't want to blow our cover as Agents, do ya?" The Pokémon said, a surprising feat for all Pokémon, but for these two, it was a common thing to hear. At these words, Jessie and James stopped talking, though James kept his eyes out, while Jessie, running out of ideas, began to look around for an alternate route for them to enter the mountain, where she, as well as her teammates, assumed Ash would be. And found an alternate route she did, and in a place that would prevent them from being seen by the other two, forcing her to smile.

"Look, rather than sitting here all day waiting to spring our ambush which, by the time this kid finishes, will be night, I have an idea to ambush him just him unsuspecting…" She whispered, which caused both the Pokémon, known as Meowth, and James to look up and saw where she was pointing. All of them grinned a little as they stealthily moved from their position heading for this place in which Jessie had pointed out; it required a bit of climbing but it wasn't a problem with the Pokémon they brought with them…

* * *

><p>"Laaaaaax…." Ash listened as he saw the large Pokémon that was before him, perhaps one of the heaviest species of Pokémon, which Ash has also only he just didn't bring with him; a Snorlax. Ash certainly did not expect Red would have a lazy Pokémon on him, but regardless, so far, Ash was seeing that all the Pokémon Red had all came from their native home of Kanto. Yet one had yet to be seen in his collection. And Ash knew that Red perhaps had trained it to not be as lazy, and could even be his major powerhouse. Ash honestly was not sure how he could counter this; Charizard lacked the strength to pick up over a thousand pounds of dead weight, so Seismic Toss was out of the equation.<p>

"Alright Charizard, use DragonBreath!" Ash commanded, and with a roar, Charizard took to the skies, and opened its mouth to release a white flamethrower that was aimed for the Snorlax. However, Red did nothing this time as he allowed the attack to hit his Snorlax, who was surprisingly resilient to the attack on its own. Ash saw this, but had no idea why Red was not having his Snorlax retaliate right away; was this a trick, or did he know that Snorlax had a way of getting airborne Pokémon? Ash knew he was dealing with a professional trainer and Champion here, so he had a reason why to choose Snorlax.

Amazingly, Ash watched as the Snorlax stood up, and saw a dark shadowy ball form in its right hand. "Snooor… Laaaax!" It cried out as it swung its wrists as the Shadow Ball was hastily hurled upwards… missing his Charizard? So far, Ash was beginning to wonder how he became a Champion with this Pokemon if it couldn't even hit the broadside of a Pidgey coop. But that was when Ash saw the ball explode upon hitting the ceiling, and large rocks began to fall towards Charizard.

"Ah! Avoid the rocks, Charizard!" Ash commanded, and despite its best flying abilities, the dragon-like Pokémon was getting struck quickly by the falling boulders, while at the same time trying to destroy the ones that could bring the most harm to it. It then had no choice but to land, while Ash had to take a bit of cover as he saw the field take on a new shape, much like the rock stage at the Pokémon League. Ash saw that Red wasn't even the slightest bit fazed from the falling rocks; did he perhaps anticipate that? Regardless, Ash saw that, because the fog outside was low, the ceiling was just high enough to allow sunlight to shine through. But Ash knew that without their grass-types, sunlight was basically useless now in combat except to see things better without their Pikachus having to use Flash.

However, Ash did not suspect Red had intent for that partially, due to Snorlax's type being not particularly strong against any type, but could use basically any type-biased attack. And with the rocks in the way, Ash did not see that the large Pokémon, still standing upright rather than lying down as it usually did, was looking up at the sun with its mouth open. Because of this, energy particles began to collect within the Pokémon's mouth, and Red had his Venasaur teach his Snorlax this ability, with a lot of effort.

"Laaa… Laaaax!" Ash heard the Snorlax cry, but surprisingly, and thankfully his Charizard had also landed, watched as a yellowish-white beam blast through the rocks and to the other side, blasting against a wall some distance behind Ash.

"Solar Beam? Red's Snorlax knows Solar Beam?" Ash couldn't help but note aloud; Buizel was not entering this fight against his Snorlax now, not when it knows this powerful grass-type attack. So far, Ash had seen it really use Shadow Ball and Solar Beam; both very powerful attacks which have some to little effect on his Carizard. But he knew to expect other, potentially nasty surprises to come from this Pokémon now, and meant that Charizard had to keep on edge in case, if Ash's theory was right, a potential and devastating Ice Beam too that could freeze his Charizard in midflight. But Ash had no idea what else Red had up his sleeve.

"Charizard, keep on edge and remain on the evasive, going in for an attack only when you see the right moment!" Ash commanded, receiving another roar from his dragon-like Pokémon before seeing it take off in the air again. Red saw it as well as his Snorlax, which appeared to be preparing for another Solar Beam, but saw Red shake his head. Red knew that those first two attacks were missed on purpose, so now it was time to get serious about this, however, something caught is attention for half a moment in the corner of his eye. Movement, however, he didn't see anything move at that point, yet had had an odd feeling he and Ash were no longer alone. He could see is Pikachu's ears had perked up when it saw its trainer acting out of the ordinary, which caused Ash to see the Pikachu behave like this. His Pikachu wasn't fazed at all, in fact, it was confused like Ash.

Despite being in the air, Charizard saw nothing either, and for this moment, time had stopped between them, like the fight wasn't their concern to this point. Ash was a little on edge; if he knew any better, this would be about the right time in which an ambush from three, all-too familiar villains will jump in and make their attack.

Ash saw that Red's Snorlax looked to its trainer, which then pointed out towards where he had seen the movement. Like last time, Snorlax prepared for Solar Beam once again, and released it where Red had directed it, receiving a blast similar to the one that occurred behind Ash. However, from then, nothing moved. Figuring that it could've just been a wild Pokemon, Red shook his head and turned back to face Ash, but it was his Pikachu that was still on edge.

"Pika, pikapika, chu!" Red's Pikachu exclaimed, and this had Red a little concerned; his Pikachu only made that particular pattern of sounds meant it heard humans and not Pokemon. It made that sound when Garry arrived, and it was making that sound here, long after Ash had appeared. Since Red became a little on edge as well, the trainer immediately recalled his Snorlax, and tipped his head downwards. If there was other humans here, he did not want to be seen battling, which Ash had hoped to avoid.

"Red, what's wrong?" Ash couldn't help but ask; his Charizard landing on the ground as Ash looked through the rock field, though as usual, Red did not respond at all. "Say something!" Ash exclaimed, a little louder, tired of all this silence that Red was giving him, but with no avail as the Champion again remained without words. Ash sighed, giving up as he reached for his Pokeball to recall Charizard, though he was a little reluctant at first, however, was taken off guard when he saw a Shadow Ball launched from near where Red's Snorlax had attacked, aimed in their direction. Both Pikachu dodged the blast radius and headed to their respective trainer, Charizard responding by flying up.

"I told… it'd miss!" A female voice rang out from the cave, and Ash immediately recognized it, though Red took a moment to try and remember where he heard the voice before. How'd Team Rocket follow them here? Ash's right hand tightened into a fist as he set Charizard's Pokeball back on his belt, and soon enough, as if on cue, Ash watched as the two familiar individuals, their feline Pokémon as well as a dark, almost coffin-like Pokémon alongside them.

"Prepare for the worst possible trouble!"  
>"Be ensured it will be in double!"<p>

After these two lines were said respectfully by each individual, it was then Red's memory remembered these two clowns he encountered on four occasions. With that, through a haze on the other side, and the recall of that coffin Pokémon by the male individual, they leaped towards the arena, both humans landing on pillars, back to back. In the male's hand now was a red rose, and they appeared rather proud to be there, which was a disgust for Ash and his Pikachu. Now of all times they decide to show up?

"Can we just hurry up and fast forward to the point where we battle; I'm not only tired of that motto of yours, Team Rocket, but you're interrupting a very important match!" Ash couldn't help but interrupt them, which obviously took them off balance for a moment, before they looked at him, clearly upset.

"Miserable little twerp! How dare you interrupt us!" It was Jessie who said this, though James appeared to have calmed down rather quickly, and held a Pokeball which enlarged upon pressing the button.

"Just relax, Jessie… Sure, it is upsetting, but it's high time we settle things here; to settle the score with both of these twerps. Whether we succeed or not, it doesn't matter…" James explained, and Ash's eyes just narrowed to an appalled state, but then realized he was referring to Red as well. Did Red have encounters with them before, Ash thought, but then watched as James tossed his Pokeball, and now, standing before them was a surprisingly tall, scarecrow-like cactus Pokémon, which if Ash remembered correctly off his PokeDex, was a Cacturne. But regardless, Ash knew that they were serious here, as Jesse took one of her Pokeballs and tossed it also, exposing a dark, serpent-like Pokémon, which Ash knew was her Seviper.

Red did not recognize these Pokemon, but his Pikachu was ready to battle, and looked like he wanted Ash to help him out here even when he said no words as usual. Ash gave a nod and looked at his Charizard, which roared in response as it looked at its trainer's adversaries. Ash was now teaming up with the Champion to fight against two foes which have been a major nuisance to him, and it seems like Red as well in the past. But by the looks of things, Red wanted to have his Pikachu to challenge James' Cacturne, putting it at a bit of a disadvantage against the grass type, so Ash would have his Charizard go up against Jessie's Seviper. Considering how long Jesse has been without it, he could be at an advantage, but then again, James had a Cacturne, caught as a Cactnea, so perhaps they went through vigorous training prior to this battle. There could be no other explanation.

Both Ash and Red stepped back, allowing Red's Pikachu and Ash's Charizard facing their respective Pokemon. The Pikachu was growling with sparks radiating from its cheeks as it glared at the Cacturne, while Charizard roared menacingly at Seviper, but both adversaries were standing their ground. It was confirmed to Ash that this may be the last time he'd fight Team Rocket, but who can say that with a straight face?

"I'll start things off; Seviper, use Glare!" Jessie exclaimed, not having the patience, and with a response from her snake Pokémon, it immediately gave a very menacing glare towards Charizard with its eyes glowing a deep crimson in comparison to their regular red, which for a moment Ash thought his Charizard was paralyzed in fear. However, when Ash saw it, his Charizard, smartly, closed its eyes for the duration, which when the glow faded, charged and slashed at it with its claws, taking it off guard. At the same time, Ash watched as Red's Pikachu used Double Team, making many copies of itself with vigorous speed to distract James' Cacturne, which was working quite well.

"Charizard, use Seismic Toss!" Ash commanded, and with a roar, his Charizard immediately grabbed the snake, and flew upwards swiftly. However, it appeared Jessie would have none of it.

"Come on Seviper, use Poison Jab!" She barked at her Pokemon, which Charizd already had it in the second cycle, and despite its best efforts, even with the tail glowing purple, Charizard had grasped near the tail to keep it from being injured. His Chrizard roared s it flew swiftly towards the ground, and just inches above the ground, it crushed Serviper under its weight. Charizard then got off taking to the air again.

"Finish it with a Flamethrower!" Ash exclaimed to his Pokemon, which even as he finished, the Charizard had already released the hot flames from its mouth, and easily began to burn the snake Pokémon. It hissed in pain, and Ash took this opportunity to see Red's situation, and he was faring very well; in fact, James had already recalled Cacturne and his Carnivine was having trouble with Red's Pikachu also, a surprising factor. Red was making James seem like child's play, as if anybody can do it.

"Grrrr! Seviper, return!" Jessie barked, recalling her snake Pokemon without a hesitation, but already tossed another Pokeball, which when it opened, exposed her Yanmega, a very speedy bug Pokemon. Ash, not wanting to be outdone easily by Red, had his Charizard fall back and his Pikachu stepped up to the plate, ready to battle. However, unlike Red's Pikachu where sparks always seemed to be radiating from its cheeks, Ash's Pikachu wasn't as electrically charged, hence why it wasn't sparking.

Despite her Yanmega now at the type disadvantage, Jessie barked, "Come on Yanmega, sow us your Silver Wind!" When it responded, Yanmega quickly flew upwards and its wings began to glow white, and began to flap quickly in a blur. In just moments, what appeared to be glowing blades began to move swiftly towards his Pikachu, which instinctively used its speed to run around to dodge each blade as they struck the ground. But it didn't appear to be stopping until it hit successfully.

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!" Ash commanded, knowing it was a long time since Pikachu even used this attack, but regardless, as his Pikachu moved, its cheeks began to spark as it was then enveloped in electricity, which it then charged towards Yanmega just as it appeared to be exhausted from nonstop assaults.

"Pikaaaa… Chu!" Ash heard it cry out in anger as it charged at it, the blow striking successfully and without a hitch. The oversized-dragonfly-like Pokemon responded in pain, surrounded in several charges of electricity when Ash's Pikachu collided with it. But since Pikachu was now high up, it had to keep a hold of Yanmega to ensure it wouldn't fall.

"Finish it, use Thunderbolt!" Ash exclaimed, and his Pikachu responded at first with its cheeks sparking up.

"Chu!" The electric mouse Pokémon responded quickly, giving the bug Pokémon another harsh shock whie it was evoloped in thousands of volts of electricity. When the shocking came to an end, the Yanmega was falling quickly to the ground, which when low enough, Ash's Pikachu leapt off it and landed on Ash's shoulder, then landed on the ground to face Jessie, who was clearly upset to be losing very quickly, but though not as quickly as Red had practically finished off James.

Then Red stood in front of Ash's Pikachu, his own Pikachu still looking like it was raring to go, the sparks still crackling from its cheeks. Red made a signal for Ash to move, and that he'd finish things here, which caused the non-Champion to nod and moved aside. Jessie and James both looked at Red, who only intended to use his Pikachu against their two remaining Pokémon.

"It's been a long time we fought against you, brat. But in comparison to last time, we will NOT be losing today!" Jessie exclaimed, as she and James tossed their remaining Pokemon, with happen to be James' Cofagrigus and Jessie's Swoobat, a ghost-type and psychic-type combination, and both Pokémon native to Unova. But Red didn't seem concerned, and with that, Ash watched as the sparks stopped radiating from his Pikachu's cheeks, stood on its hind legs, and began to… dance? But how Ash saw it, it was like a combat dance, and soon, clouds began to form outside, dark and soon began to rain through the hole in the ceiling. Red stepped back a little, and Ash wondered what it was doing, but then saw that Jessie and James ordered their respective commands to their Pokémon, which caused both to rush in there and deal a physical blow.

Without any warning though, the Pikachu's dancing stopped, its eyes opening as a lightning bolt came down and quickly struck the Pikachu.

"Piiii… Kaaaa…! CHUU!" It cried out, surprisingly loudly as bolts of lightning spread all around from the electric mouse's body, but were mainly directed towards both Swoobat and Cofagrigus, with had a severe impact on both. Ash then realized it was one of the strongest-known electric type attacks; Thunder, and it appeared to be more powerful in rainstorms. Both the Pokemon were launched back to their trainers, but without giving them a chance, Red's Pikachu jumped up, and formed a ball of electricity before it.

Without a chance to recover to the two Rockets, the ball was released before them and the feline Pokemon, and with an explosion, the five of them were launched skywards through the open hole in he ceiling.

"Despite being more powerful, all we got was failure…!" Jessie cried out, clearly upset with the results.

"I guess the ones who should've surrendered was us…" James said, trying to act calm but with no use. He honestly did not want to get involved with not only Ash, but also Red, who they now know his name.

"Regardless, let's keep our distance… Let our Boss handle things at this point…" Meowth said also, and was in pain also.

From there, all three said in unison, "Team Rocket's blasting off for good!" They were out of range, and as they disappeared in the distance, a bright sparkle in the sky shone through the dispersing rain clouds in the direction they were launched. Ash heard the last two words were exchanged with "for good" rather than the usual "again", and this definitely confirmed they were no longer his problem to deal with. Again, he could not say that aloud with a straight face.

However, Red did not appear to be done as he walked over to his side of the field, and Ash thought he must want to finish this battle with Ash. However, he did not pull Sorlax's Pokeball, nor the ball beside it from his belt; his Pikachu was on the field in place.

Ash could tell that Red wanted to finish things up quickly, and Ash looked at his own Pikachu, who appeared like it was ready to battle also. Through the battling, the boulders were blasted away, leaving a perfectly clear battlefield once again; nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Ash looked at Red, and this would be the concluding chapter of this battle; Red's Pikachu versus Ash's Pikachu, who will emerge victorious in the end, both Ash and Red thought inwardly to themselves.

* * *

><p>AN: For those who were wondering what Red's fifth Pokemon was going to be, it was going to be Espeon. Just to clear that up…<p> 


	5. A Shocking Finale:Epilogue

AN: I do not own anything by Nintendo or any other companies involved, otherwise I would've done a few tweaks. So, yeah, I own nothing that is related in any way to Pokémon except the characters I own, which this time around will not be involved. This is basically an attempt to do a battle of opposites.

_**Pokémon  
>Champion of the Past<strong>_

**Chapter 4: **A Shocking Finale

After his Pikachu was on the field with Red's, Ash had taken Charizard's Pokeball and recalled the dragon-like Pokémon. Despite what happens now, Ash had to put his faith and trust into his Pikachu to emerge victorious, as Red will be doing the same thing with his, surely. And since Red had Pikachu the longest of all his Pokémon, no doubt that Red didn't even have to do any actions or say anything and his Pikachu will come out alright. But so far, the battle between the two similar-in-appearance trainers was dead even; Ash had defeated Red's Blastoise, Venasaur, and Charizard, and Red defeated Ash's Sceptile, Gliscor, and Staraptor; all of which were respectfully powerful in their respective areas.

"So, this is it then, Red; our Pikachus facing off against one another, the final chapter of our battle, right?" Ash spoke, and though Red still did not say anything, he did give a nod, showing that after that whole Team Rocket battle, and with night approaching if only slowly, he wanted this battle to be finished. Ash was basically feeling in a similar way; whether he won or not, he could at least say that he lasted longer than Gary against the Champion of the past. And at least Ash could say that the battle was the most witted battle he's ever faced in a while.

"Are you ready Pikachu?" Ash couldn't help but say to his partner, which responded without a hitch, eyeing down Red's electric mouse Pokémon. When Red saw they were ready to go, he held his arm to the side, and held it out with an open hand, which basically was the command to let his Pikachu deal with things accordingly. Surprisingly, Ash watched as Red's Pikachu was dashing everywhere across the arena, showing it's hasty agility, and used it in a manner like Ash did with Surge. However, since Ash's Pikachu knew of this technique, it leaped out of the circle and just eyed its adversary, which had stopped.

However, Ash's Pikachu was surprised when its adversary charged at it with quite a bit of speed, in a Quick Attack, but dodged the strike by crouching low. Both trainers knew that using electric attacks on one another would be useless because both were resilient, and so did the Pokémon also, so this was looking like a physical battle. But both were quite agile, both were pretty evasive, and both were definitely trained in all forms as Ash and Red noted while watching the Pikachu that did not belong to them.

However, what took Ash by surprise was when Red's Pikachu slammed its tail against the ground, and charged towards his Pikachu with its tail glowing. He recognized the attack was Iron Tail, which had caused his own Pikachu's tail to glow to use Iron Tail also, which it used in defense while Red's was more for offense, both tail's colliding respectably against the other's, which then had them pull back, but charged again to get in another strike, which was blocked in the same manner. It was like this for three more strikes before Red's Pikachu pulled back, its tail stopped glowing, and static radiated from its cheeks in place.

Ash knew it was probably going to use some kind of electric attack, but Ash was surprised when it then began to use its speed to create duplicates of itself, Double Team using its speed. Ash's Pikachu watched carefully and tried to concentrate on trying to find the original, as it was quickly surrounded from all angles by the Pikachu duplicates. It did not have to hear Ash command it, much like Red did with all of his Pokémon, but watching the clones, they all began to do that Rain Dance once again, and through the ceiling, the rain came down when the sun was covered by the dark clouds.

Ash's Pikachu knew that it had an intention to do this Rain Dance, all of the clones doing it to keep Pikachu on edge. But it then remembered the time it used thunder, and had its tail reach up in the air like a lightning rod, much like the clones, which soon disappeared as Red's Pikachu dashed out.

"Piiii… Kaaaa…! CHUU!" They both cried in unison as two bolts of lightning struck down upon their bodies, causing them to be enveloped in yellow electricity. Bolts of heavy lightning burst in every direction, causing both trainers to step out of the way respectively as bolts came their way. The sand picked up between the two mouse Pokémon, leaving the area to remain quite dusty for a while. Ash and Red had to keep on edge as the dust settled, and when both looked, despite being electric types, both appeared seriously injured, and at this point it was hard to decipher between the two since the two had been moving around with the Iron Tail exchange, and the Double Team as well as the dust had Ash, at least, confused.

"Pika…. pika…" Both of the electric-mouse Pokémon breathed heavily, due to the heavy fatigue from the simultaneous Thunder strikes upon each other, but both did not appear like it was going to give up at any time. Both backed up from one another, and watched as one Pikachu, unsure if it was his or Red's, was standing in front of him, and the other in front of Red. Both began to be surrounded in electricity, before they began to charge towards one another. Ash saw they both intended to finish things with their signature attacks; Volt Tackle, and this would likely determine which was stronger, both trainer's thought.

When their heads collided with one another, plenty of more dust picked up from the impact, which actually lasted longer than the Thunder impact. Ash just hoped that his Pikachu turned out alright in the end, while Red was making that same hope towards his own, just as the dust began to settle. By the shadows, it appeared that one of the two Pikachus was laying on its stomach, collapsed from the assault, and the other was struggling to remain standing on its arms and legs.

"Pikachu…" Ash couldn't help but say aloud, but the one that did respond to his voice was the one that had collapsed, which turned its head to look at its trainer weakly, and it was then and there that Ash realized it; he lost. Red walked to the Arena towards his Pikachu, and just before it was about to collapse, he picked it up in his arms, and smiled at it before scratching its head a little before placing it on his shoulder. Ash walked towards his Pikachu and basically did the same, only kept it in his arms.

"Pi… ka…?" It asked him, and Ash understood what it was basically asking; it was asking that despite losing, did it do well. Ash nodded, but was surprised when he heard the voice of Red for the first time.

"…You treat your Pokémon with more than enough of respect… Even though, in the end you lost, I'd like to… coincide this battle between you and I, Ash, as a draw… You put a lot of faith in your Pikachu, like I did with mine…" Red spoke, and Ash noted his voice was deep, but expected since he was clearly more grown up than Ash. "…But it would seem that I have plenty to learn yet… You helped me see that, Ash… More places to see, more Pokémon to meet… Friends to make…" Red added, as Ash stood up, while Red reached into his backpack, which Ash only now seemed to notice, and pulled out a strange, star-like object, and reached for a Pokeball.

He placed the star-shape by the closed Pokeball, and Ash watched as it glowed, and dissolved slowly into the Pokeball. When it was completely gone, Red aimed the Pokeball to the side, and tossed it, and Ash watched as it exposed his Charizard, no longer injured from his Gliscor, as if it never battled. Red caught the Pokeball, and compressed it so it attached to his belt again without a hitch. The dragon-like Pokemon roared a little, looking at its trainer while Red did the same, before turning to face Ash again.

"Ash… Don't give up your dream to become a Champion and Pokémon Master… In time, I have no doubt that you could very well become one yourself, like me…" Red spoke, as he climbed onto the back of his Charizard, and tipped his hat to the younger trainer. "But… Don't think that this will be the last time you'll see and battle me Ash… I have no doubt we'll meet again, and try to prove which of us will prevail completely in the end… Until that day where we meet again, Ash… Farewell…" Upon saying the final word, Red's Charizard roared as it quickly took to the sky, and flew out of the hole in the ceiling with its trainer and his Pikachu on its back.

Ash stood there, looking up towards where Red had taken off, and soon disappeared in the distance. He looked to his Pikachu once again, smiled, before setting it on his shoulder. "I'll be looking towards that day, Red…" Ash couldn't help but say as he left, and returned to the entrance of the cavern, but was surprised to see that Brock and Misty were standing there, as if they were there watching the whole thing. They also appeared quite surprised as well, and Ash knew that must've been the first time they heard Red speak openly to anyone before.

"Guys, let's go home…" Ash said to the two Gym Leaders, not giving them any time to ask him any questions, before they began their short descent off the mountain…

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

Since his return home, Ash has been training harder and better, while at the same time, treating his Pokémon with as much respect as he can. And like he wanted, Ash had traveled throughout Kanto once again collecting the Gym Badges from all the Gym Leaders once again. It was when he arrived at the Viridian Gym that he was surprised at how much it changed. It was there that Ash had met a trainer that held a resemblance much like Gary's, however, but was nothing at all like his rival; referring to himself as "Blue". But this particular encounter with Blue is another story.

Afterwards, Ash would eventually, this being two years following his battle with Red, he finally was able to reach the finals, and face off against Lance, and though it was very difficult, Ash, in the end, achieved victory over the Champion. Ash had finally become Kanto's Pokémon League Champion, after seven years since he began his journey. But when Ash hoisted the cup, he did it not only for himself, but for Red also, certain that even though he didn't like the publicity of being a Champion, Red would've held the cup himself…

Since his battle with Ash, Red had returned to Pallet Town, if only for a short visit, and from there, he began his journey outside Kanto and Johto. Like Ash, Red had left all his Pokémon with Professor Oak, but he decided to keep traveling with his Pikachu, wherever he went. Throughout his journey, Red would come across and catch a large diversity of Pokémon from Hoen, Sinnoh, and Unova. These adventures, however, are other stories all on their own.

And as for Team Rocket? Well, a surprising factor for Ash is that he never did see them, no matter where he went, though he was followed by them, but they never took the chance to fight him. Even with the upper-hand, they did not risk being demoted again like their mistake with Red, after their realization during that battle. Jessie, James, and Meowth are now merely a shadow that Ash has walked by for the final time, with no chance for an encounter from them any time soon.

In the end, a year following Ash's victory and becoming Champion, Red has made his long, three year journey outside his home come to an end. He returned to Mt. Silver, but not without leaving a message for Ash for a rematch, which when Ash received, didn't refuse. This second encounter between the two… It's still undetermined which of the two emerged victorious; the Champion Ash, or the changed Red…

_**End…?**_


End file.
